Law enforcement officials say a woman was texting minutes before she was involved in a fatal crash on Highway 23 last summer.

Heather Cleveland, 26, of Kewaskum, was charged with homicide by negligent operation of a motor vehicle during an initial appearance March 18 in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Judge Robert Wirtz set cash bail at $2,000.

Data collected at the June 25, 2014, crash, shows Cleveland was traveling west towards Ripon at 2:31 p.m. between 65 to 71 mph when her Chevy Trailblazer rammed into the back of a Ford pickup truck stopped on Highway 23, waiting to turn left onto Willow Road, according to the report.

The force of the impact pushed the truck into the path of an oncoming vehicle driven by Linda Trotter, 63, of Ripon. Trotter was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the criminal complaint.

Cleveland was transported to Theda Clark Medical Center for treatment of several broken bones. When investigators questioned Cleveland about the crash, she said she didn’t remember what she was doing prior to the crash. When confronted about her phone use, Cleveland told the investigating officer she only texts while stopped at a red light. Phone records show that Cleveland was sending and receiving texts minutes prior to the crash, according to the criminal complaint.

Toxicology reports also indicate that Cleveland had methadone in her system at the time of the crash. Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner Dr. Doug Kelley said the level of methadone in Cleveland’s system was “within therapeutic range” and that she was not impaired by the drug at the time of the crash, according to the criminal complaint.

Cleveland’s driving history shows that she was convicted of inattentive driving and operating while suspended in Juneau County in 2010. During that incident, Cleveland lost control of her vehicle, side-swiped a tree and left the scene of the crash. When the woman was confronted by police, a law enforcement officer noted that Cleveland “flat out lied” about the crash, according to the criminal complaint.

Cleveland also was cited Feb. 15, 2014, for traveling 81 mph in a 65 mph zone on Highway 41. During the traffic stop, Cleveland told Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nick Evans that she “wasn’t paying attention” and thought she was traveling 75 mph, according to the criminal complaint.

The case is set for a preliminary hearing before Judge Peter Grimm at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30.